


Breaking Spirits

by WhiteRipple



Series: Inheritance [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Brainwashing, Character Death, Established Relationship, Ghosts of the Past - Freeform, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Post-Recall, Psychological Torture, Sleep Deprivation, Tragedy, there is no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-11 14:28:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11150328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteRipple/pseuds/WhiteRipple
Summary: There are two ways to break a man, physically or physiologically but when a man breaks they can be molded into the perfect puppet. To break someone like Jesse McCree it only takes time and a little push before taking him to the edge.Whatever happens after? Well that is another story.





	1. What does it take to lose a heart?

**Author's Note:**

> So.... This is my swing at writing. Its been almost 8 years or so since I last wrote something so forgive my rustiness.

 

When Jesse McCree woke up, it wasn’t graceful. The last thing he remembered was getting knocked out near enemy lines, which was never a good thing. And he was right to panic because he couldn’t feel his left arm at all. He sat up straight, or tried to, but nearly fell over, unbalanced. He tried to take a few deep breaths, tried to calm his beating heart. He needed to take in his surroundings and his current state.

First thing he noticed was that he was in a room. It wasn’t a terrible room. It actually looked like a bunker from his Blackwatch days. Just a bed, a dresser, and a door that led off to a bathroom. There was another door that was closed, which he guessed was the exit, most likely locked. Next thing he noticed, which explained why he was unbalanced, was that his prosthetic was gone. That wasn’t good at all...now he knew for sure it wasn’t Overwatch that picked him up. He’d been captured by Talon.

Something caught his eye and he turned to see what looked like a security camera set up in the top corner, right by his bed, a red light blinking at him. They were watching him. He shivered at the thought. He didn’t like being watched, and especially by the enemy. He adjusted himself to his right side to try and sit up, feeling terribly off kilter without the extra weight of his arm to keep him centered. The bed wasn’t...too bad. In fact, whenever he thought about someone being captured by Talon, he expected it to be a dungeon sort of deal, without any access to sunlight. Not that there were any windows here but it was more pleasant that he imagined. He glared at the camera and stuck his tongue out at it. Whatever they had planned, whatever they were gonna do to him, he wasn’t going to spill any Overwatch secrets.

He took a deep breath and got out of the bed, only to, once again, nearly fall over. But this time, in pain. His head was pounding and he had to take a seat back on the bed before he hit the floor. Whatever they hit him with, it wasn’t fucking delicate. “Fucking Talon scum...” He muttered, rubbing his temples. He stood and stumbled into the bathroom, leaning against the sink and pressing his head against the cool mirror, trying to soothe the pain. It was excruciating, but once the initial shook wore off, he managed to lift his head and actually look at himself.

Nothing changed much about him. His beard hasn’t grown out much since the last time he looked at himself, which means he hasn’t been here for an indeterminate amount of time. His face was scratched up a bruised a bit from the fighting, but other than all that, he still looked like good ol’ Jesse McCree. He ran the water and scrubbed his face a bit, the cool water feeling good on his heated skin. So he was captured by Talon, he needed to get out somehow. He didn’t think 76 or Winston knew where the Talon bases were, so he wasn’t really going to expect a rescue any time soon and Talon was definitely smart enough to destroy his means of communication after they took him. 

Goddamn...he really was captured by Talon. Han probably wasn’t too happy about this.

Memories of the archer were suddenly interrupted when he heard the sound of a door opening. “Finally awake, Mr. McCree. We’ve been waiting for you to awaken.” A woman appeared in the doorway and Jesse didn’t even think. He lashed out immediately, lunging at the woman to use her as a hostage or something. He didn’t get far though. She pointed a black box at him and he lost control of his body as electric shocks ran through his nerves. A taser, of course she’d be armed. He twitched and convulsed in place before blacking out once again, his nerves on fire and his head pounding.

“Now we can’t have any of that now can we Mr. McCree.” The woman smiled as she snapped her fingers. Two large men came in and took the unconscious man into their arms and took him away.  The woman followed the three men into one of the chambers, the empty metallic halls let out an echoing sound each time her heels met with the ground. It didn’t take long before they arrived to a new room, the room was mostly bare. There were a few tools on the carts, a chair with several leather belts welded into it. The room was dark as the only thing that there was lighting the room was a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. 

When McCree woke up he came to see the woman once again, he tried to force his way out from where he was sitting but he couldn’t move his limbs, even his head was held in place by straps of hard leather. There wasn’t much he could but but scowl at the woman. The woman in turn let out a soft laugh, tilting her head at McCree. “I’m glad you’re awake Mr. McCree, you know it’s not nice to keep a lady waiting.”

“It’s also not nice to hit a man upside the head and tie him up in your weird sex dungeon. You gotta buy him dinner first.”

“Now that is not very polite and even after we did everything to make you comfortable at our nice establishment.” The woman smiled, she sat down right in front of him, she crossed her legs and placed her hands on his lap. It was almost as she was studying him. “You know, I think you’re kinda cute, it’s too bad what we’re going to do to you.”

“If ya’ll think I’m gonna talk then think again. You don’t know me very well.”

“Oh that is where you are wrong Mr. McCree. We know everything about you, from your days in Deadlock to your golden years in Blackwatch. We even know things that you haven’t told your dear lover, Hanzo Shimada. Regardless, you are much useful to Talon in other ways.”

“You lay a damn hand on him-!”

“You can be more than an asset, you ingrate.” Another but familiar voice reached his ears. McCree tried to turn his head, he tried to see the person behind him. In his mind he couldn’t understand why was this person there. The man’s voice, the one that he would listen to in a heartbeat when he was just a kid. The voice that reassured him when he was doubting himself, how told him that he was doing the right thing. “Looks like I got to teach you all over again, _mijo_.”

“...Gabe? What...what the everloving _fuck_?”

“Didn’t teach you to speak to me that way you ingrate.” The voice replied, “In fact I taught you everything you know. Once I’m done with you, once you give in you’ll be just like Widowmaker. A perfect pawn for Talon, at least you’ll be useful then.” The voice sneered as the sounds of heavy footsteps could be heard behind him. “Not unlike Blackwatch, remember those days? Remember how useless you were?”

"Widow...Amelie? No...no no no, Gabe you...What about Gerard? What about...fuck you’ve been alive this whole dang time?"

“I don’t think you understand your position McCree.” The voice continued.  “I don’t think you understand the opportunity that you’ve been given.” The woman stood from her chair and pushed a button a surge or electrical shock spread throughout McCree’s body. He tried to squirm away from the intense pain. From the bright light light that the shocks sent he could see a silhouette behind him. It looked just like Gabriel Reyes, a man McCree thought died years ago. “There is one way to get out of this mess you know? Just be a good soldier and join Talon, that’s all.”

“I’d never join Talon! And neither would you, Gabe. Goddamnit...you’ve been here the whole time, they brainwashed you like they did Amelie...Thought you were stronger than their tricks, _jefe_.”

“You think that they brainwashed me?” A soft chuckle could be heard around the room. McCree felt a hand on his shoulder and a warm breath on his ear. “Let me tell you a secret McCree, I’ve been with Talon for years. I was the one who took down Zurich in a single blow. And most importantly I was the one who sent all those men to their deaths.” The warm hand  was gone from his shoulder as the heavy footsteps could be heard again. McCree didn’t want to believe that his own mentor, the father figure that he looked up to all these years was the one responsible for all of those deaths to the men and women he served with.  “It’ll be alright Jesse, soon enough you won’t have to think about that, well you won’t be thinking much at all.”

He paled, realizing truly what was going to happen to him. He panicked, struggling in his bounds even harder, but he could barely move. "No no no! I won't...fuck you! I have a stronger will than you, I won't let you brainwash me!"

“Do not worry about a thing, we have all the time in the world.” The woman interrupted, “We shall see how much you can last. Oh…. maybe we should get you a partner. Maybe someone with a bow and arrow perhaps?”

“Would you like that mijo?” the voice returned. “Would you like that princess archer here? I’m sure we can break him right in front of you. I’m sure some of our men can have their way with the guy. We can break him one way or another.”

“N-no...you sick fucks. D-don’t bring anyone else into this. You have me, don’t you? Leave everyone else alone!”

“Is that so?” The voice replied. “Miss Friendly, I think we’re ready to begin. Don’t hold back, just don’t kill him. Since we’re going to send him back eventually, he will be a good solder and take care of his family.”

“Of course Mr. Reyes.” The woman nodded as she let small specks of silver swirled around her hand. “I do not waste assets unlike you.”

“S-send me back? What do you mean by that? 

“My, my, I thought you were smarter than this.” The woman walked forward and sat on McCree’s lap. She placed her hand on his cheek. “You know, you’ll be their executioner. You’re going to take care of each one of their members when they have their backs turned. No one would suspect an ally to turn on them. Now be a good boy and say ahhh.”

McCree struggled even harder, trying to get as far away from this vile woman as possible. He didn’t even bother opening his mouth to reply, he kept his lips pursed and turned away from her, glaring hard daggers, trying to turn and see the fucker he used to look up to.

“My eyes are here you know.” The woman giggled as the specks of silver started to move around McCree’s head and enter through the man’s ears.  The cold metallic specks danced inside his ears. McCree could feel them crawling around his head, his head began to feel heavy and his body began to burn as if he was set ablaze. McCree could barely hear the woman speak even though she was like right next to his face. “I tired to be gentle since this was our first time, but it looks like you had to act naughty. Try not to die will you? My superiors are going to get on my case if you die.”

McCree could see the figure of his mentor just melt away, he wasn’t sure whether it was from whatever the woman placed in his head or was he never there. Did he imagine it all? He wasn’t sure anymore. The burning pain on his head and spine made things so unbearable. He tried to look at the woman and glare at her but even his vision was getting blurry. “You know, it would be so much easier if i can plant a chip in your head. To take control of your body and just kill all of Overwatch myself. And you would be there to watch it all, unable to do or say anything about it. You would watch as I took the life of that archer you like so much. But no... Talon wants to put you in your place, for getting in our way time and time again.”

She got off McCree’s lap and took a couple of steps back. She placed her hands on her back and leaned forward. “You’re not very talkative now are you? Come on say something, at least let me know that you’re still breathing.”

All McCree could do was let out a let out a small groan. He couldn’t get his mouth to work, his tongue felt heavy and it took a lot of effort to even move his mouth. All he could hear was the laughter from the woman. He stopped flailing in his binding, his body made slumped against his binds. The woman snapped her fingers and the sharp pain stopped, there was still a lingering pain all over . He wanted to close his eyes and pass out.

“You poor baby… you want to go to sleep?” The woman snapped her fingers and the pain began once again.  “I’m afraid only good children get to sleep.”

\--

After 3 days of no sleep McCree began to hear Gabriel’s voice, however there was no one there. Each time he tried to sleep the thing that the woman injected would jolt him awake. McCree could feel his eyes getting heavy, he attempted to close his eyes. A second later he

started to hear a voice, this one wasn’t Reyes or that woman. But he still recognized that voice, he wasn’t sure if this was a sign of him going insane. There were no footsteps, he was alone at least physically. McCree knew that that woman was still observing him from another room.

“Poor McCree, and here I thought you were better than this.” The deep baritone voice called from all around him.

“M-Morrison?”

“You know you’re a waste of space. I don’t know why Reyes wasted his time with you.” The voice continued. “You were just a useless kid, and how did you repay him? You left him alone when he needed you the most. You knew that my voice couldn’t reach him and you left him alone. It’s your fault that we died. You could have saved him. You could have made him see reason, but you did nothing.”

“No I….”

“All you know how to do is run away from everything.”  Jack Morrison’s voice continued. McCree tried to shake the voice away but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t shut the voice off. “He treated you like a son and all you did was run away and leave him to die. I almost feel sorry for anyone who is remotely interested in you. You’re nothing more than a deserter, Jesse McCree.”

Just like that the voice just vanished from the room. He heart pounded wildly, he was trying to block out the words that echoed in his head. He was beginning to doubt himself, he knew that it was nothing more than something he created in his mind. At the same time, could Morrison’s voice had  a point? Could he had saved Gabriel and Jack before the explosion could even happen? He thought about it several times when he first heard of the explosion in Zurich. If he had stayed before shit hit the fan would it had made any difference?  It wasn’t like him to doubt in himself like this, at least not as much. If there was one sick comforting feeling out of all of this it would be that he heard Morrison’s voice once again.

After 5 days with no real sleep and very little interaction with other people he could hear Morrison’s voice more and more often. It wasn’t the soft and gentle voice that he remembered when he was with Reyes and they were alone. The one that made his heart jump in pride when Morrison told him that he did a good job on a mission. It was harsh and malicious, the voice was blaming him for everything that went wrong  that in hindsight he had no control over. But each lash from his words made a crack in his heart. McCree’s eyes looked dazed, not fully shutting close but still not exactly there.

“I want to bail you out but you know I can’t.” A feminine voice cut through his thoughts. It wasn’t Morrison come back to haunt him but Ana. He could see her transparent self, Ana’s ghost was looking back at him. But she couldn’t be there with him, she couldn’t help him get out and leave this place. She couldn’t help him fall asleep, she was not not real. But that look on her face, it made his chest hurt. It was almost like she was disappointed in him.  

“You’re not real!”

“It’s going to be okay Jesse.” Ana reassured him. “You’ve been in tougher situations than this, Gabe taught you be strong.”

Ana’s form vanished and McCree was left alone once again. With no way to actually see what was going on around him and with no way to get out of here. McCree was beginning to wear down. He held on strong, he needed to, Hanzo was waiting for him to get back to base and he would be scolded for letting his guard down and everything will be alright. He will get close to Hanzo and kiss him and tell him how much he loved the man. He would sleep with Hanzo keeping him close and keeping him safe. He just have to hold on and find a way out.

During the seventh day another hallucination came to see him, or maybe it was the real thing. He stared back at Gabriel Reyes, just how he remembered the man. The darker skinned man just glared back at McCree. At this point McCree wasn’t able to talk much, his eyes were so heavy but the pain was not enough to sleep through it. He bared his teeth and just started at Gabriel or the ghost of the past. He could feel the ghost come close and placed his hand on his cheek, he was looking down on him as if to say. ‘Looks like you got yourself into trouble didn’t you?’

“Come on kid, you’re strong enough to stand against this.” Gabriel’s voice said. “Pull your shit together and fight back again.”

McCree wanted to say something, anything to Gabriel. This was the man that he looked up to, the man that he wanted to serve under for a long time before things went bad. The man that betrayed Overwatch. But McCree couldn’t believe that, this Gabriel and the one from the first day were so different. His mouth wouldn’t let him do it, he couldn’t say anything to Gabriel. The man let out a sad hum and stepped back.He looked over Jesse’s body one last time and shook his head. He hadn’t been let out for seven days. His smells must of mixed together. If he had anything in his stomach he would had thrown it back up. But there was nothing there, the tiredness of his eyes was outweighing the desire to eat. The look on Gabriel’s face was soft, almost as if he was pitying him. McCree couldn’t help but to let out a soft sob, in the traces of his sane mind, the one that was getting smaller and smaller he knew what this was. Why Jack, Ana, and Gabriel came to see him.

It was because it was his own thoughts and insecurities that came to life.

On the ninth day, aside from the usual ghosts from his past a new one is in the mix. He recognized those eyes. Those soft, warm eyes that looked like they could smolder fires, but gentle enough for McCree to forget the pain for just a moment. “H-Han...” he managed, his voice raspy from lack of use and water. He was just as radiant as ever, and unless McCree was mistaken, Hanzo was glowing. It could have been the lack of food and water and constant pain though. Either way, this was a much preferred to any of the ghosts that visited him in the past, if just a little less painful. But...he had to warn him! “H-Han...trap...they’re gonna-” He cut off when Hanzo reached out and put his hand on his cheek. McCree swore he could feel it; maybe this was real.

Hanzo shushed him gently, his eyes the most comforting thing he’s seen in...how long has he been here? “My cowboy, you must stay strong.” Good lord, his voice. McCree’s eyes burned as tears trickled down his cheeks, hot like lava. “You will be strong, I know you will.”

“Wh-what if I...c-can’t. D-don’t wanna hurt...can’t hurt-” He groaned, the pain intensifying with every word spoken.

“I won’t let you hurt anyone, Jesse.” Now Hanzo cradled McCree’s face in both his hands, the touch surprisingly not searing against his sensitive skin. “And I know you wouldn’t hurt any of us intentionally.”

The tears fell freely, and despite the fact that it hurt to cry, he couldn’t stop. “I’m s-sorry...f-for wha-what I might...do to you.”

“Stay strong, my cowboy. You’ve survived this long. Don’t let them make you into what you don’t want to be.”

McCree sobbed. He was going to let Hanzo down. He already felt like he was breaking what with the lack of sleep and nourishment. He mumbled apologies over and over to someone who wasn’t even there, knowing in his heart that unless a rescue team found him, he was doomed to be Talon’s puppet.

When Hanzo did disappear, the comfort from the pain went away and McCree screamed. He needed to get out of this place, needed to go to Hanzo and hold him and tell him how sorry he was. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. He was still exhausted and the crying only wore him out more. He wanted to sleep but alas, the pain kept him up, not enough to knock him out, but just enough to keep him awake. As more time crawled away, he wished more and more for death to take him.

At the 12th day with no sleep, Mcree tried to keep his eyes open. The pain through his spine was a constant fire, not enough to knock him out but enough to keep him squirming. He didn’t even talk any longer. He only looked ahead, trying to focus his vision on anything to keep him sane. The visions of the people he has met appeared almost constantly. There were times he could hear Jack Morrison’s voice, blaming him for things that weren’t his fault . There were other times that he heard Ana’s voice, trying to calm him down with her voice. There were times that he heard Gabriel’s voice, telling him that he was strong enough for whatever Talon could to at him.

However the hallucination that he enjoyed the most was of Hanzo. The archer in his vision didn’t say anything. He was just looking at Jesse with a solemn look on his face. McCree tried to reach out to him but the straps keeping him in place made it impossible to do so. A small part of him knew that he was no more than an illusion. McCree didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t anymore. His voice was hoarse and dry, his lips had cracks on them. He wasn’t sure when was the last time he had food, they at least kept giving him water so he wouldn’t dehydrate, even if at this point it was through an IV drop.

“Han….”  McCree croaked out, trying in vain to stretch out his neck as the hallucination of the archer turned his back on him and started to walk away. McCree continued to moan out Hanzo’s name. Pleading him to stay with him. McCree knew that it was just a trick of the mind, days without real food and no sleep was making him see things. But seeing his lover walk out on him hurt more than he cared to admit. “Han….. Han… Han….”

“Looks like you only lasted 12 days with no sleep.” The woman adjusted her tie and walked around McCree. The man in question had eyes that didn’t focus on nothing but the door. He didn’t even acknowledge her there. He just kept calling out Hanzo’s name. The woman let out a small chuckle as she clicked a button from a remote. A large screen came down from the ceiling and was floating in front of McCree. “You want to know something? They say that those that have the ability to create illusions have the power to control all five senses. With it they can create things that are not there and hurt people where they can’t run away from. Their own fears. Everyone has a fear, even me and even _you_ .” She played with the remote in her hand for a moment. He waved her hand and a materialized version of Gabriel Reyes appeared next to her. “You were probably too easy to break Jesse McCree, all you needed was the right push. Now then, time to start on your _reformation_ , shall we?”

The screens turned on and McCree’s vision turned white.

\--

Jesse McCree didn’t remember when he woke up, he didn’t even remember what time period this was. All that he knew was he had been asleep from what felt like years. He carefully took in his surroundings, trying to piece together what had happened, it all felt like a fuzzy dream. Around him was the dry desert air, its rocky cliffs were showing off a bright orange color. He vaguely recognized this place, it was where he grew up. McCree wasn’t even sure if he did grew up in Route 66, his memory was still in pieces.

 _‘Remember your mission’_ A voice within him said, it wasn’t his own but who was it? He didn’t have a face to match it but he knew that voice. _‘When you wake up, you must take care of Overwatch.You’re the only one that can.’_

His mission, McCree remembered now. It was before he fell to sleep,  He needed to take care of Overwatch. He was the only one who could do it. McCree didn’t have it in him to question the voice in his head. He didn’t question why the voice sounded so familiar, at almost soothed him. He knew this voice, it was at the tip of his tongue. Jesse has heard this voice before, has obeyed this voice before. He could feel the voice giving him strength, giving him what he needed to finish his mission.

“McCree?”  A voice shook him out of his thoughts. McCree turned around and saw a man about his age. His clothing was something out of a Japanese samurai movie. He had a bow and a case full of arrows. He was...handsome. And seeing him sparked something inside McCree, almost like… “Where the hell have you been, it’s been almost 5 months since you vanished I thought that Talon caught you.”  
  
‘No! He’s Overwatch. His name is Hanzo Shimada. You are to eliminate him along with everyone else.’   
  
The feeling was immediately gone. What a shame, thought McCree, to have to destroy such a pretty face. He tipped his hat at the guy and aimed his gun, shooting off a few quick rounds. The samurai was quick, dodging easily, but the look on his face was priceless.

“Jesse...what is going on?” The other man’s brow pulled together in confusion and worry.

“Heh, pretty face, but ya ain’t so bright.” McCree taunted. “I’m with Talon, sweetheart. I’ve come to get rid of you Overwatch government scum once and for all.”

“Talon? What are you talking about you fool?  You’re with Overwatch...”

 _‘He’s lying. Playing tricks on you. He’s great at playing mind games, don’t fall for it,_ mijo _.’_

Of course. Makes sense. After all, Overwatch would be lucky to have someone like him on their side.

“McCree! You must snap out of it! This isn't you, Talon has brainwashed you! They-”

Oh, he couldn’t hold it in! McCree laughed at the samurai’s pathetic attempt to trick him. These Overwatch guys were not smart. Wonder why it took Talon so long to get rid of them? Well, if you want something done right. “That's real cute, pumpkin, but don't waste your breath. I'm doin' this of my own accord. I got a mission and it's to get rid of you.” He spun his gun around his thumb, always the showoff, and pointed it at the samurai again, “Even if I have to pick y’all off one by one.”

That voice in his head screamed at him to take the shot, especially since the other man seemed so distracted, but where’s the fun in that? These Overwatch dopes didn’t seem too challenging, wouldn’t hurt having a little fun. He smirked and considered lighting a cigar while he waited, watching the other man. His eyes darted down to his bow, seeing the shift as it’s wielder tightened his hold. Suddenly, his expression became defiant, confident; the face of a warrior. Now this was more like it!

“You have dug your own grave, Jesse McCree.”

Hanzo pulled from his pocket a couple of small daggers and threw them at McCree. He took his bow and spun an arrow in his hand. He pulled on the string and fired an arrow behind the daggers. McCree let out a soft chuckle and fired the daggers out of the air. He moved to the side and let the arrow hit the wall behind him. He tipped his hat back and wagged his finger at Hanzo.

“Now my huckleberry, That’s not very nice.”

“Are you belittling me?” Hanzo’s eyes narrowed.

“Maybe.”

McCree moved forward, for some reason it seemed to surprise the Japanese man. His eyes widened. He fanned the hammer. Hanzo threw his bow in the air behind him as he jumped back barely missing the bullets, one of the bullets grazed his legs,  the japanese man flipped backwards twice. The large bow came down and without and effort Hanzo caught the bow and turned around once, an arrow was pointed at his direction McCree raised an eyebrow and reloaded.

He fired at the arrow, when his bullet collided with the arrow it let out a loud wave of sound.It made him cover his eyes, wincing at the pain. He glanced back at Hanzo and aimed his gun firing a few shots at the man. He watched as Hanzo moved behind cover and fired a few arrows in succession. McCree fired 5 bullets before he ran out. His gun made a clicking noise as he realized as there were no more bullets.  McCree used his metallic arm to shield his body from the arrow. The force of the arrow was enough to pierce through the metal.  McCree gritted his teeth and looked back at Hanzo. There was something strange about the man.

 _“What you waiting for, mijo? Finish the job before he finishes you off!”_ The voice growled in his head.

‘Would you relax, what’s the worse he can do that I can’t do better?”

Hanzo’s body began to glow blue, the man’s tattoo came to life as he fired a new arrow. Two large Dragons appeared from a blue thunderstorm cloud. McCree tried to move away from the two large dragons of all things. However they didn’t came after him. The surrounded both himself and Hanzo. The Archer pulled an arrow and was ready to aim at him. 

“You’re finished McCree!” 

“Han, are you gonna kill me darlin’?”  McCree’s smug smile didn’t disappear from his lips. “Just like you did with your brother?” How did know something like that? He didn’t know the man until now? Did Talon give him a briefing before coming here? That must be it.

Hanzo hesitated for a moment before firing his arrow. Jesse throw a black canister at the arrow. When the arrow pierced the can a flash of bright light covered him. McCree jumped over a small opening that the dragons left and fled the area. Now wasn’t  the time that he would face Hanzo Shimada. He needed time to prepare and to find a way to fight two large dragon-like things. He held onto his chest, during the fight, especially when he saw the large dragons his chest hurt. It didn’t seem to be an issue so there was nothing to report. He would kill Hanzo Shimada with his own hands. He just needed time to figure out how.


	2. How can you pass on a legacy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you lose someone you love, you try to do everything in your power to get them back. Some may call you a fool for loving someone that much, for caring too much. That is when one's spirit is at their weakest and that is when one loses themselves.
> 
> For Hanzo Shimada, his strongest fault was caring too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the second chapter of this thing, I am glad that all of you enjoyed this story.

After Jesse McCree disappeared, Hanzo Shimada spent most of his time trying to find clues to where McCree had disappeared. During one of his missions he simply vanished, his communicator was nowhere to be found. It was almost as if the earth swallowed him whole, Even with the combined efforts of the entire team  they couldn’t find any clues as to McCree’s whereabouts. At first Hanzo thought it was just a prank pulled by McCree, or someone was on his trail for his bounty and he needed to lay low. McCree would usually try to use his communicator to call him after a few days away from him.

It has been two weeks since he vanished and there was not a single call from the man. There was a sinking feeling inside his chest, something was not right. There was something inside of him telling him that he was wasting his time just standing around and waiting for McCree. That he should be out there looking for McCree but even with all their search there was nothing that they could find.

 Soon after Hanzo began to take missions around the area where McCree disappeared, it didn’t matter how small the mission was or how easy it might have been. Before all of this he would scoff and reject any mission that was beneath him. However, now he was asking for scraps, any way that he could be there around the area and ask around. Each and every time he would go, instead of the golden hair ribbon on his head it would be a bright red, golden patterns, similar to McCree’s Serape. 

After each mission around Dorado he would go to a different bar. He would sit in the corner and listen those around him. Instead of touching his own personal stash of sake he would order whiskey on the rocks. Each time he would pick up some sort of clue he would follow. He would spend the next couple of days investigating the clue he found or if he was lucky, interrogating his targets. Once he realized that it was a dead end he would end his informant’s life. They were nothing but lowlife thugs who thought they owned the city. It was only after they met him that they would realize that there was always someone bigger.  A good deed for the sake of Overwatch, he made sure that there was no body and no evidence left after his encounters. A dump to the nearest ocean later he would head back to his safehouse, readying his things to get back to base.

Even if a body washes up ashore, it was impossible to link him with the crime. He wasn’t a Shimada assassin for nothing.

Back on base it was the same thing. He would barely eat and barely sleep. Hanzo didn’t feel right without McCree by his side. Not that he would admit it to anyone. If he wasn’t training then he was on the rooftops. He made sure to avoid anyone as much as he could. The calm cool nights made it easier to soldier through his restlessness. When he did sleep it was no more than a few hours at a time before he eventually crashed and slept for a day or two.  Several people tried to talk to him, tried to get him to eat and take care of himself.

_ “Brother, you must take care of yourself. I know you’re worried about Jesse but you won’t be able to help him like this.”  _

_ “Kid, McCree is going to be alright. He’s been in tough spots before.”  _ He would remember 76’s words.  _ “He’s probably lazing around somewhere.” _

But even so the days passed by, they became the same to Hanzo. He would sleep, eat and go on missions. He would do his mission as fast as he could and then tried to investigate where McCree would be. But each and every time he would come up empty handed.  Days turned into months and everyone around the base was beginning to lose hope.  Athena ran searches just in case that he was caught by the authorities but nothing. There was just no sign of McCree, it was almost like he never existed. 

Then the transmission came.

Five whole months had passed since they had last heard of McCree. Everyone had all but given up on the possibility of finding the man. Hanzo wasn’t faring much better, despite everyone’s effort in keeping an eye on Hanzo, the man has lost a lot of weight. There  were traces of bags under his eyes. His temperament was always on the defensive, at the smallest thing he would blow up. The only reason he didn’t leave the base permanently was due to Genji. He was not going to abandon his brother again. But at the same time he had given everyone the cold shoulder. It was late into the night when he heard the voice of Athena, the base’s A.I.

“Agent Shimada, I have received an SOS transmission coming from Route 66, USA.” The AI’s voice echoed in his room. “Judging from the location of the signal it is safe to deduct that the area is no longer in use. I thought you wished to know”

“Have you informed any of the others?” Hanzo asked as he stood up and began to get dressed.

“Not as of yet, I was going to sound the alarm to gather everyone so we can build a rescue team. However I believed that you should be the first to know.”

“Do me a favor Athena and do not tell them yet.” Hanzo said, heading towards his case where he kept his bow and arrows. “I will do some recon first, if I find anything important I will let all of you know.”

“Are you sure that is wise Agent Shimada?” Athena asked. “The probability that it could be a trap is at 93 percent.”

“Yes, I just…. I need to find out if its him or not. There is no point to build a rescue team is there is nothing to be rescued.” Hanzo said as he headed out of his room and towards the hangar. “I do not want anyone to have hope only for it  to be another false alarm.”

“What if they ask for you in the morning?”

“Tell them that I had some personal business.”

With those words he left to the source of  the signal. Athena helped with the auto-pilot. He would be there in a few hours. Hanzo wanted to see the source of  the signal, he wanted to see if it was McCree who was asking for help, at this point it was like chasing another ghost. Hanzo was tired of chasing after ghosts, he didn’t think he could take having another ghost chain his heart down. Deciding to get some rest before he got there, he closed his eyes and slept a dreamless sleep. 

\--

Hanzo Shimada had never felt the feeling of heartbreak.  He had always been busy thing to be the best he could be so that he would inherit the Shimada Clan. After he left the Clan, he spent all of his time either drinking himself to sleep, training, or taking jobs as an assassin. So he had never felt the need to fall in love with someone, not to mention the feeling of heartbreak. However after fighting against Jesse McCree for the first time Hanzo decided that heartbreak would be the most fitting. 

He could still see the look in McCree’s eyes, it was hollow and empty. The way that the cowboy, his cowboy, laughed. It wasn’t the laugh he remembered, it was more malicious. However the man’s voice, his drawl, his looks, it was everything that reminded him of his Jesse.  He didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry, he had found Jesse McCree. However, he wasn’t sure if the Jesse that showed him that it was okay to be human was the real one or not. 

Hanzo didn’t report any of this, once he returned from his defeat he was asked many questions. He ignored all of them and headed to his room. He needed to be alone with his thoughts. He heard knocks on his door but he ignored them all. Hanzo laid down on the bed, hugging one of McCree’s old shirts. He once thought that he didn’t deserve happiness, that for the things that he had done. Things like happiness and a future was wasted on a killer like him. He had accepted that no matter what happened, no matter who he killed it would never wash away the dishonor. It would never make the things that he did wrong right. 

Genji and McCree helped him see that wasn’t the case, that he was allowed to want things and to be happy. And slowly but surely he was beginning to see that. Hanzo thought that maybe it was okay to want things for himself, to want something for his own sake. McCree pushed him forward and he became more social with the rest of team, hell it almost made his decision on joining the organization a reality. He declined in the end, he was still an assassin. People like him were useful in the shadows. 

Now he was beginning to doubt himself. 

After two weeks since he last saw McCree he received a message. It wasn’t from his communicator but from his own phone. He had someone set up a system, people who required his services had to jump through a lot of hoops to get to him. He made sure that he couldn’t be easily reached. The only people that were in his personal phone were people that he had connections, informants, old partners, and so on. However his number was unknown, that was the thing that put him on edge. 

Hanzo opened the message, and looked at its contents. It was just a single message with an attachment of a map. Hanzo read over the message, his blood went cold. He gripped his phone tight. 

_ Hey Shimada _

_ Looks like your friend wants a rematch, come meet him on this location will you? He’ll be waiting one week from today. _

_ PS: Get a better phone, this one was so easy to hack.  _

His decision was made for him, he would have to face  McCree sooner or later. Hanzo gathered his courage and waited the week to pass by. Everything from then on seemed like a blur. The day before he needed to go to his destination Hanzo left without saying a word to anyone. He left in the middle of the night, he knew that someone was watching him but as long as they didn’t stop him then he couldn’t care less. He was a man on a mission, he was going to finish what he started with McCree.

And then when the next day came and he arrived at his destination. Hanzo wondered if Winston knew that this watchpoint was being used. Even as he came to the abandoned building, the two large gates of what was once a Watchpoint opened.  The inside was similar to the base back in Gibraltar. Metal bunkers, a large building, though this one wasn’t embedded inside of a mountain. The metal and concrete road stretched out.  Hanzo ran to find McCree. If he was the person who sent him the message then with more reason he needed to take care of this.

After 30 minutes of looking around he finally found McCree. He was leaning against a large metal crate. He pushed himself off the crate and then smiled at Hanzo. For a moment Hanzo forgot why he was there and took a step forward before memories came back to him. Hanzo drew his bow, he stared at the man that was once Jesse McCree. He scowled at the look that the man gave him. The warmth of his eyes was no longer there. He couldn’t feel the warm earth in those eyes. McCree’s posture was all wrong too, he was more confident with no traces of that humble and easy going personality that was once there. McCree’s words were like ice on his skin, they were not right. It was not the same McCree that held him during the nights when his guilt was too much. It was not the McCree that soothed him with his words and his praises. 

No, his mind, his heart was telling him that even though that this man was McCree. That the man had the same body the same hair the same everything that he used to love about the man. This was wrong, his entire being was screaming at him that this was completely wrong.

_ ‘Focus master.’  _ Jiro said in his head. 

_ ‘You cannot let your emotions distract you from this.’ _ Kojiro added.

Hanzo knew that they were right. Even if it was McCree he needed to protect this place. Even if McCree no longer saw Overwatch as his home, he needed to protect it. He swore to himself that he would look after this place. It was the place that made him more human.

"McCree! You must snap out of it! This isn't you, Talon has brainwashed you! They-" He cut off when McCree started to laugh. Gone was the carefree belly laugh. Now his laugh was malicious, mocking Hanzo in his attempt to bring the real Jesse McCree back. 

"That's real cute, pumpkin, like I said don't waste your breath. I'm doin' this of my own accord. I got a mission and it's to get rid of you." He took his gun out of his holster and spun it around his thumb before pointing it right at Hanzo. "Even if I have to pick y'all off one by one." 

Hanzo lost his breath for a moment, his grip on his bow tightening. This was real...this was really happening. McCree was a traitor. He felt a surge of anxiety race through him, remembering when he had to strike down his own brother. His arms started to shake, but he gripped his bow tighter to steady them. Can he really hurt Jesse McCree? The only man who's ever made him feel like he was worth something? 

_ 'You must.' _

_ 'He isn't who you thought he was.' _

_ 'You must strike him down.' _

_ 'For the sake of your family.' _

His family...Jesse was part of that family. But seeing that smug grin, a grin that resembled nothing to the Jesse McCree he knew, he sees now that he was deceived. They all were.

"You leave me no choice, Jesse McCree." Hanzo said, eyes narrowing. He won't let anything happen to his family, the one's who have accepted him so readily, despite his sins. He'd protect them, he'd strike down this traitor, no matter how much it hurt him. 

McCree had his peacekeeper in his hand ready to make a move. Hanzo readied his bow, neither one moving. It was almost sick that this was how they originally got to know each other better. How they got to talk when he was too wound up to do so before. However, instead of aiming at random bots they were aiming at each other. His grip on his bow  tightened, he reprimanded himself about thinking on the past. There was no one else on the open space of the base.

Hanzo took a second to look at his surroundings, this was an old abandoned base in Italy. It was similar to the one in Gibraltar, with several rooms made of metal. From the reports this was mostly used as a safehouse if there was another crisis. However now that overwatch was not what it used to this place was neglected, unused. There were bridges that connected towers, there were a multitude of them. Each connecting to the next like a series of labyrinths.

Hanzo could feel a bead of sweat run down his face. He stared back at McCree, the man had a smug smile on his face. He was waiting for him to be ready. Hanzo didn’t know if he should feel insulted by the gesture. A gust of wind blew over, making both his hair tie and McCree’s serape flutter. Hanzo made a mental countdown, as soon as the wind stopped he was to attack.   


The wind came to a careful stop.

As if a surge of life breathed into both of them they jumped forward, Hanzo let go of his arrow aiming right at McCree’s shoulder. McCree shot the arrow out of the air, upon colliding the arrow burst into tiny arrows of light ricocheting from onto the floor and towards McCree. Hanzo continued to shoot arrows from afar, aiming and predicting where the other man would go. McCree rolled away from the barrage of arrows and continued to shoot at Hanzo. Each one of the bullet barely missing the archer as both continued to run across the field. Hanzo took another arrow and fired it at McCree, he followed it up with another arrow. The second arrow caught up with the first and made it burst into light. Hanzo took his chance and quickly climbed up one of the towers. 

Even now Hanzo knew how fast McCree could reload his gun, He moved along the tower traveling and putting some distance from McCree. If it was anyone else he would be able to aim at their head and kill them in one shot. However, this was probably the only person who could match him in terms of speed and agility. Despite his size McCree could move fast, roll away and back again. His reload time was impressive. Hanzo fired another arrow into the distance and could see McCree’s outline from the sonic waves. He still on the ground, hiding from him as well.  Hanzo rushed across the bridge firing arrows. Hanzo could hear the sounds of bullets just barely missing, his natural reaction time made him just barely be able to get out of the way. He needed to take the fight closer. This wasn’t getting them anywhere.

Hanzo moved down jumped crate to crate, dodging the bullets heading his way. His intention was to get closer to McCree. He spun around once and with his bow swung down to strike McCree, at the same time the man blocked his blow with his prosthetic arm.Hanzo landed on his feet and used his free hand to deck him on the face. McCree smacked Hanzo’s fist with his prosthetic arm before firing once a Hanzo. He moved his head by instinct to dodge the bullet as he slapped the gun away, making McCree miss once again and Hanzo took the chance and aim a punch down towards McCree’s solar plexus.  McCree caught Hanzo’s fist and aims right at Hanzo’s face, the barrel of the gun touching the temple. Hanzo used his legs, one to kick the gun up to the air and the other to pushed the man back. 

Even as they fought McCree still had that smug smile on his face. It made Hanzo sick looking at it. This wasn’t his McCree, his Jesse. Whoever this was it was not his lover. It made him sick that all the times he took McCree for granted and now this. He wanted to know why McCree was doing this, why did he lie to him about this. Or if he was in the right mind at all. Those eyes just seem so empty like there was no one there. Just a doll, tied up with strings that Hanzo couldn’t see. In his moment of deep thought he almost didn’t notice the small canister floating between him and McCree. Hanzo’s eyes widened as he quickly shut them close and opened his mouth. 

The small canister exploded sending a bright flash of light around them. Even with his eyes closed he could still see the bright light. The loud popping sound of the can made his ears bleed. He could feel the his skin burn from the heat that radiated from the Flashbang. Hanzo opened his eyes, they were blurry and unfocused. He rolled behind a couple of crates as he bought himself a second of time so that his vision returned to normal. However there was a huge problem. He couldn’t hear anything anymore, there was just a constant ringing in his ears. He had let his guard down. He couldn't even use his arrows to track McCree down. They used sonic waves which meant they were useless.

Hanzo glanced around, he needed to rely on his vision to find McCree. He was angry at himself for falling for the same trick twice. He looked at a doorway, this was not a fight that he could win against. He was down a sense, one that he relied upon heavily. Hanzo needed to recover from the flashbang, he rushed to the doorway. Hanzo let out a hiss as he felt something pierce his arm. Without thinking he took out two arrows and fired them at the ground. The arrows struck the ground and several more arrows ricochet around the entrance. 

Hanzo picked up speed, he needed to recover from his wounds fast or McCree would get the best of him.  He climbed up the stairs to one of the towers. He found a nearby office and entered, closing the door behind him he sat down against the door.  He let out  a few shaky breaths, his entire body felt like it was on fire. Most of the cuts and burns caused by McCree were beginning to wear him down. He couldn’t outrun him, his hearing wasn’t any better as well. He was a sitting duck and there was nothing that he could do. He just needed to avoid McCree for a few more minutes and he would fight him again. He would aim at his heart and….

_ ‘Can you really?’  _ Jiro, one of the two dragons, voice echoed in his head. ‘ _ You had a chance once and you hesitated. So now you are in this mess.You do not believe that he is a traitor, do you?’ _

_ ‘If your heart's not into doing this then you will fail again and again.’ _ Kojiro, the second dragon, added.  _ ‘You will hesitate time and time again until he becomes your end.’ _

_ ‘How can I!?’ _ Hanzo cried within his mind.  _ ‘He was the one who made me feel human, who let me know that it was okay to be a human and not a machine who only knows how to kill. Even as I aim to try to hurt him it hurts, I just want the old Jesse back. I just want my Jesse.’ _

There was a moment of silence, even if McCree was close he shouldn’t be able to sense his presence. He hid everything from sight, controlled his breathing so that even that was so quiet. However his mind was also silent, as if the dragons were deep in thought. There had to be some sort of joke in that statement, if Hanzo wasn’t about to die soon. He took the hair ribbon in his hair and tied it around the wound area. Using his teeth and his free hand to make it as tight as possibly could to stop the bleeding. At least the bullet didn’t hit a major artery or he wouldn’t be breathing. It felt like the minutes ticked on by until one of the dragons spoke in his head once again.

_ ‘So you are willing to do anything?’ _ Kojiro asked.

_ ‘Yes, Jesse does not deserve this. He does not deserve to be used like this, he does not deserved to be used as a tool  to hurt his family… our family.’ _

_ ‘If his mind has been altered then there may be a way to get him to normal.’  _ Jiro added. _ ‘However there is a small chance that it would even work.’ _

_ ‘What? How?’ _

_ ‘There are several ways that we present ourselves to you, members of the Shimada Clan. Most of  the time we are there at birth, watching over you until the time came and we would appear on your skin. However there is another way for us to appear. We would be passed down to another person, we would be inherited. Have you not notice our work? Have you not noticed that even though you have done unspeakable things that you will and mind made it out intact? That is our work, as your spirit guardians we protect your mind from damage in exchange you protect us with your body.’ _

_ ‘So if Jesse were to inherit you two, there is a chance he can turn back to normal?’ _

_ ‘A small chance yes.’ _ Kojiro agreed _. ‘However since we do not know how badly his mind is damaged, if at all, we are not sure if it is possible to revert him back to normal. If this is his true self and what you saw is an illusion? Then you may very well given your enemies a powerful weapon.'  
_

Hanzo paused at that, there wasn’t any guarantee that McCree would return back to normal. For all he knew the man that was hunting him down was the real McCree and what he loved was nothing more than an illusion. Would he risk the chance of giving their enemy a powerful weapon just for a chance to see if what he believed was a lie? Would he allow the person he loved to suffer like he is now? There was so much at stake with this gamble, he couldn’t just do this easily but at the same time.

At the same time he would do anything for his family, and for Hanzo, McCree was a huge part of that family.

_ ‘What is it that we need to do?’ _

_ ‘There are two conditions to fulfill if you are willing to take this route.’  _ Jiro warned.  _ ‘Once those two conditions are done then we will pass on to Jesse McCree. After that then we will begin the cleansing process and try our best to snap him out of it.’ _

_ ‘Alright, then tell me what you wish for me to do and let us end this duel.’ _

\--

Hanzo left the safety of his hiding place and headed to where they first began their duel. He knew that McCree was looking for him. Hanzo wouldn’t put it past the man if he knew how long his condition lasted. Once he was at his destination Hanzo backed himself to a wall, making sure that he was protected from 3 sides before he fired an arrow. The arrow let out a sonicwave, Hanzo couldn’t see anything but he knew that McCree could. It didn’t take long for the man to appear. His hearing wasn’t any better, he could hear slight buzz instead of nothing.  He held onto his bow and took out an arrow. He saw McCree’s mouth move but couldn’t hear what the man said. All Hanzo knew is that he had one shot to do this. 

“Are you going to play around McCree!?” Hanzo yelled at the top of his lungs. “Or are you going to actually take me on at your strongest?”

McCree looked shocked for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. He had said a couple of things that Hanzo couldn’t hear but then looked at Hanzo in the eye and said something else. Hanzo wished that his hearing wasn’t damaged.  He wanted to hear what McCree had to say. Hanzo took a couple steps forward so he was away from the wall. He aimed his arrow at McCree but it seemed that the man was one step ahead of him and shot the bow out of his hands.  The Cowboy’s eyes began to glow red. It was almost as he was staring at two red stars. 

Hanzo could feel chills run down his spine. This was what it felt like when he was on the receiving end of McCree’s ace. It was the one thing that Hanzo could never match no matter how much he trained. He may have powerful dragons but McCree had a special ability as well. The Deadeye. Hanzo rushed forward as fast as his legs could take him, the bow that flew away from his hands twirled in the air and glowed blue. It released a large cloud and then the two spirit dragons dove down on McCree and Hanzo. 

McCree fired his shot, everything seem to slow down to a crawl. Hanzo stopped running and stood in place. His vision began to go dark, instead of seeing McCree and the watchpoint he began to see memories from the past. It began with the memory or when Genji tried to get him to join  Overwatch, however this time he could feel the calm and the sadness that Genji felt. He could see himself through Genji’s eyes.  How he had refused to do so at first and then leaving himself alone. 

The next memory was from when Genji and himself were only children. On how they used to play ball a lot when it was just the two of them and nothing else. He felt how happy and free they both were.  How the two of them would watch cartoons on saturday mornings, getting up at the crack of dawn just to make sure that they didn’t miss Genji’s favorite cartoon. After that it came one from when Genji and himself fought to the death and he gave the last blow to his own brother. He could feel the pain that Genji must have felt but at the same time he felt the betrayal that his brother’s heart let out. Hanzo wasn’t sure if this was a punishment or a gift. 

Several more memories came to him in a rush, it was like he was in a place where there was no time. That everything happened at once and not at all. So many memories were being poured into his mind, even things that he forgot about. Hanzo knew what was happening to him, if it meant that he could save Jesse then it was worth it. The last memory was of Jesse and himself, He was looking through Jesse’s eyes and he could feel the amount of affection that the cowboy felt for him. He could see how stupid and awkward he was that day. He could hear McCree’s chuckle and it hurt.  Hanzo remembered what happened next. Jesse leaned forward and gave him a kiss. The man hesitated at frist, bringing himself closer to Hanzo, His lips lightly touching his nose before leaning down onto his lips. It was his first kiss in a long, long time.  It was probably the happiest moment he had in all his life. With that final memory, Hanzo hoped that what he was doing was for the best and that his… that  _ McCree’s dragons  _ can bring some sense into the man.

In the real world McCree’s bullet landed a direct hit: a headshot.  Hanzo recoiled back, the dragons rushed in faster. They wrapped around McCree and one of them bit into his shoulder. The Dragons began to slowly meld into McCree’s body. Hanzo’s arrows scattered around him and the man’s Storm bow landed not too far from his body. It was over, in less than a fraction of a second all functions in the brain stopped working. Hanzo’s eyes glazed over, looking at the sky. His hair, without the hair tie, was was scattered all over. Despite of all that the archer looked more at peace than he had in his entire life, a small smile ghost his features.

_ ‘What is it that we need to do?’ _

_ ‘There are two conditions to fulfill if you are willing to take this route.’Jiro warned. ‘Once those two conditions are complete then we will pass on to Jesse McCree. After that then we will begin the cleansing process and try our best to snap him out of it.’ _

_ ‘Alright, then tell me what you wish for me to do and let us end this duel.’ _

_ “The first thing that needs to happen is that we need to meld into his body.” Jiro explained. “We will mark him and then fuse with him.” _

_ “And the second?” Hanzo asked _

_ “You need to die, we can not detach ourselves from your soul unless you pass on….” Kojiro explained. “I am afraid that there is no other way around this. It is either you or him that needs to die.” _

_ “I understand, and I have made my choice.” _

\---

A voice screamed at McCree to take the shot and for the first time, he hesitated. Something deep within him had him hesitate, a memory of black silken hair and a rose red smile.This wasn’t part of what he was told to do. Whatever that Shimada had done to him it was nothing more than an illusion wasn’t it? Then why was he hesitating to shoot the bastard and be done with it? It should be easy, he is standing right in his line of sight, so why was his hand shaking?

_ 'Take the fucking shot, ingrate!' _

The screaming voice surprised him and McCree pulled the trigger. The cowboy only saw red as he focused his Deadeye on the archer before him. He never missed, and this was no exception. He aimed to kill. He knew his mark hit true when his ears started to ring and his vision turned black. He knew the Shimada was down and he had won. 

However, he didn't expect an icy wind to envelope him, and a sharp pain near his shoulder had him howling. He still couldn't see very well, a side effect of his Deadeye, but the black quickly turned to a blinding blue. His mouth gaped open as pain enveloped him, collapsing to his knees.

His body was fighting something. He could feel his consciousness being knocked around inside him, conflicting thoughts fighting for dominance. He closed his eyes and each pulse sent his his mind reeling in pain. Whatever that Shimada did to him was affecting him even after the man’s death. It almost felt like two things were trying to fight for control. Even though he was a free man, he made his own choices, didn’t he?

_ 'You must fight the hold they have on you.' _

_ ‘You cannot let those that control you win.’ _

 

_ “Don't you dare, McCree, you have a mission!” _

 

_ 'They are not who they say they are.” _

_ ‘You are not who you think you are.'  _

 

_ “Mind games, McCree, remember?” _

 

_ 'You have had your doubts, have you not? You always did.’ _

_ ‘You could have killed him much sooner, but you did not.' _

 

**_“Get. Back. To. Work. Ingrate!”_ **

 

**_‘You are not alone Jesse McCree!’_ **

**_‘We will fight with you and break the shackles in your mind!’_ **

 

Visions filled McCree's head; a yellow ribbon, a shared gourd, laughs on the rooftops in Gibraltar. A deep baritone laugh that rattled his heartstrings in just the right away.

A soft kiss. Many shared nights lost in the throes of passion. Holding a warm body close on a cold winter's night. The feel of calloused fingers tracing shapes into his skin. 

McCree had his eyes closed, he felt something wrap around his body, holding him close, warm. Whatever or whoever it was it radiated warmth. It felt like he was being embraced by something, McCree didn’t question it. The cracks had been made, more and more memories came pouring in. All the good, all the bad, all the times he suffered, and all the times he was happy. As soon as it had come, the pain disappeared. The cold turned into a warmth that traveled up his neck. His name was Jesse McCree, Overwatch agent. His beloved was Hanzo Shimada. 

The man he just shot.

In an instant, his vision cleared. And everything happened in slow motion. The blue and clouds cleared, and he saw Hanzo hit the ground, red surrounding him like a hellish halo. 

“Hanzo!” He screamed, scrambling to his feet to get to his lover. He called for him, wishing with all his might that the man would sit up and call him a fool for missing a shot. But he never missed, that was the power of the deadeye. And the wound in Hanzo Shimada's head was a clear indicator of that. Jesse practically fell into the fallen man, scooping him in his arms and pushing any hair and debris from his face. The Shimada was deathly pale, almost gray, the only color being the dark red that dripped down his brow. He tried to tell himself that Hanzo was just sleeping, even though he knew the truth. He knew what the cold reality was. 

"Ha-Hanzo...Han, baby...baby please wake up..." Jesse's voice shook violently. He did this...he shot Hanzo, the only man who ever saw him more than a gunslinger. The only man who ever treated Jesse like a man. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks in rivers. "I-I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry, Hanzo please...please d-don't..."  _ leave me alone _ . He bent his head down desperately into Hanzo's breast, listening intently for a heartbeat, anything.

_ “....Honestly McCree, that is probably the stupidest thing you’ve done this week.” _

_ “....Do you really think you can understand me?” _

_ “Sometimes I wonder if I deserve you Jesse….” _

_ “You fool, try to pay attention to your surroundings. The last thing I need is for you to get hurt, you’ll just complain through your recovery.” _

_ “...I love you Jesse, never forget that...” _

But nothing.

Jesse let out a loud sob as he held Hanzo’s body closer, his lover that he had killed. He was so heartbroken, so riddled with grief, he didn't feel his neck burning until it became unbearable. He let out a cry of surprise, lifting his head away from Hanzo to rub at his neck, but what he saw made him pause. Two red dragons, about the size of house cats, were looking at him from their place beside Hanzo. He tilted his head, then looked back down at the man in his arms, noticing for the first time that his arm was bare; the tattoo was gone. 

Tears sprung anew. He understood now. In sacrificing himself, Hanzo saved Jesse. Those gentle but powerful voices he had heard were the dragons bringing him back from whatever dark place Talon had locked him in. They pieced together his once broken mind that had been  remolded into whatever Talon wanted out of him. Hanzo saved him and possibly all of Overwatch, but at the price of his life. 

“He never once blamed you for this.” Jiro looked down at what was once his master.

“In fact he kept believing in you, he never wanted to believe that you would hurt Overwatch, that it was your choice.” Kojiro moved up Hanzo’s arm to rest on top of what was once a living breathing human. “He wanted you back, he wanted you to continue to live.”

“As his guardians, we could not deny his wishes. You are now our new master Jesse McCree, you inherited us and with it you inherited his will.”

“What will you do now?” Jesse didn't move from his spot, holding his dead lover and weeping. He babbled nonsense about how proud he was of the archer, of how much he loved him. Hanzo left, the man went to a place that Jesse couldn’t follow. He looked back at Hanzo’s body, he noticed the once powerful eyes that could smolder fires were not just empty clear marbles. Jesse used his hand to close Hanzo’s eyes. No matter how much he tried the tears wouldn’t stop. Eventually Jesse felt both dragons curling around them, and the three mourned the loss of a beloved master and lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this wraps this part of the story, I will most likely continue this story soon. I got a bit too invested but we shall she how it turns out. Thank you everyone who took time to read this story. 
> 
> Have a nice day everyone~

**Author's Note:**

> SHAMELESS PLUG HERE: I am in an Overwatch RP server and I would like to add more people to interact with. Inquire at whitewinguniverse on Tumblr for more info. 
> 
> Have a nice day everyone~


End file.
